La Bulle Verte

Set into the slope below Piton Mont-Vert, in the Mont-Vert-les-Hauts district above Saint-Pierre, La Bulle Verte occupies a timber creole house reached by a lane through cane fields. The district sits at 530 metres, within reach of the island's volcano, southern coast and western beaches. It is a small stay: three rooms, each around 21 square metres, built with cryptomeria timber and finished in a different style. La Campagne runs pale, cerused white against exposed rafters; La Cabane is dressed in reclaimed wood and set with a swing seat facing the garden; La Vintage works in caramel and black, retro in feel, with a picture window open to the greenery. Each room has an en suite bathroom, a private terrace or balcony and a hairdryer, and two of the three have a balneo tub with a view outward. Outside, the garden keeps traces of the citrus, lychee, longan and palm plantation that once stood on the site, now filled in with flowering and tropical plants. Breakfast is included; a half-board option adds dinner at the table d'hôte. You can hear little beyond the garden after dark. Massage can be arranged through local partners, and the owners advise on walking routes nearby, from short strolls to longer routes into the hills.